Tag Archives: foia

Merriam Webster Definition–is a small gift given to a customer by a merchant at the time of purchase and more broadly something given or obtained gratuitously or by way of good measure. The term is found in use in Southern Louisiana and Mississippi and is a Cajun French or Louisiana Creole French term. It is the equivalent of the thirteenth roll in a “baker’s dozen”.

I would like to thank you for coming to my website and I hope you found ‘some food for thought’ and at least a little information. I have certainly had a good time doing it.

Food For Thought: If you are unable to find/buy an item anywhere but the internet be very wary. Many of these internet sellers also market products through Amazon which tends to make a product look more legitimate-but be very wary.

Educate Yourself. Education is knowledge and knowledge is power.

How to Correctly Calculate Sugar Alcohols:

The effects that sugar alcohols have on your blood glucose can vary so it is difficult to know how they will affect your blood glucose levels every time. Because there is less effect from sugar alcohols than either sugar or starch, you can use the following tips to estimate how much carbohydrate from a serving to count in your meal plan for foods that contain more than 5 grams sugar alcohols.

When a food has more than 5 grams of sugar alcohols:

Subtract ½ the grams sugar alcohol from the amount of total carbohydrate.

Count the remaining grams of carbohydrate in your meal plan.

Note: This tip is useful for those who are intensively managing their diabetes with insulin or advanced carbohydrate counting.

What to say about sugar alcohols-best to stay away from them as much as possible as they can cause all kinds of gastric distress accompanied by pain and suffering. Maltitol in any form is absolutely the worst and if there is a best it might by erythritol & xylitol. About the most I can say about Sugar Alcohols is that they do not promote tooth decay. I personally use Liquid Splenda, (EZ-Sweetz-zero carbs in any amount used) Just Like Sugar Table Top, Just Like Sugar Baking, and Just Like Sugar Brown, all of which I order from www.netrition.com . The Just Like Sugar line of products is basically pure inulin with brain damage carbs and equally brain damage fiber. Each gram of carb is offset by each attending gram of fiber. We all have our own preferences and these just happen to be mine. One of the things I have found over the last almost three years is that my tolerance for sweet stuff is not that great. Most everything tastes too sweet to me. My husband recently bought some Diet Rite cola sweetened with Splenda. I took one sip of it and it tasted like sweetness overload to me. I am not sure but perhaps it is a function of Diet Rite attempting to match the disgusting sweetness of Coke or Pepsi.

Try To Learn To Cook if you don’t know how. Try finding a free online (low carb) cooking class. If you can follow simple instructions try some of the easier recipes in the Low Carbing Among Friends and Jennifer Eloff cook books. There are a ton of terrific recipes that will not put any tons on you. Seriously don’t these look scrumptious? The book cover photos always lure you in with desserts but inside are some really terrific recipes…even for a novice. I have not done much research on this because I don’t need it but if you do, the research can be fun, fun, fun. My first husband used to accuse me of only wanting to do the fun things and my secret?: Make everything you do fun. Easy peezy japanesy.

Baking is science & chemistry and cooking is art & creativity and there is a vast difference. You don’t want to mess much with science & chemistry…but art?…creativity?…ahh…now there is something most of us can wrap ourselves with and…Katie bar the door.

This is one of my favorite gummment terms: GRAS and it means Generally Recognized (Regarded) As Safe. Boy, in my book that takes care of a wide swath of stuff. If I had my choice (and I do) I would choose a salad, broccoli, cauliflower, or any number of things over Hydrogenated Starch Hydrolysates-Yuck.

FOIA-Freedom Of Information Act. This can be useful if you have made a formal government (in my case, FDA) complaint to find out what is (has) happening with your complaint. At this point I have not had to use it because as time passed I actually watched the results of my Julian Bakery FDA complaints via the internet. FOIA Instructions The charges are nominal and they will send you a bill.

How to File an FDA complaint. This is pretty easy once you know the steps to take. Most people send information to some FDA office in Washington, DC and it is my best guess it goes into the garbage.

You need to write a comprehensive, concise letter (several of mine, in the beginning were anything but) and then your letter and any supporting evidence is sent to your local FDA Consumer Complaint Coordinator. Easiest is e-mail. (See PDF of all FDA toll-free phone numbers). Consumer Complaint Coordinators Call the office in your state to get the name and e-mail address of your coordinator. (I have to say my FDA coordinator is absolutely terrific). Once the complaint has been made you are assigned a complaint number and this number is what you use to obtain any documents you may wish to see under the FOIA. Do not contact your coordinator again as they are unable to give you any update information-this is what the FOIA is for. Basically then, it is a matter of time. As the saying goes, the wheels of government turn exceedingly slow and exceedingly fine. Be patient…like 4-5 months patient. Certainly you can monitor the company you have complained against which is what I have done. As I said, I watched Julian Bakery crumble and almost disintegrate before my eyes via the internet. This is a list of Better Business Bureau complaints during the Julian Bakery meltdown with the FDA. The BBB’s rating for Julian Bakery is now a D+. Complaints Filed With The BBB. Update October 12th, 2013: Julian Bakery has now been downgraded to an F by the BBB.

Anyone who ever said that eating low carb is expensive may not be telling the whole truth. It is expensive…in the short run… and will probably save you countless healthcare dollars in the long run. I believe for me, living with diabetes and living low carb, that I am healthier at 67 than I was at 50 or 55. I consider myself very lucky and try to count my blessings every day. I live in a very large metropolitan area where many good grocery stores and restaurants vie for your every food dollar and where just about everything is available, if not in a great grocery then at specialty markets and butcher shops. There are more Asian markets here than you can shake a stick at. For those of you living in the thousands of smaller towns and villages between the East and West coasts, I know it can be more difficult. My only advice is to educate yourself and pick the very best and healthiest foods you can and remember, you can always order from www.netrition.com They only charge $6.99 for shipping anywhere in the country no matter how much or how little it weights. I have received orders that weighted 25-30 lbs. and yep, the shipping was a measly $4.95. Shipping has now gone to $6.99 but in the world of the internet it is still a super bargain and over $99. the shipping is FREE.

Ronald Reagan famously said, “Trust but Verify”. At the signing of the INF Treaty, his counterpart Mikhail Gorbachev responded: “you repeat that at every meeting,” to which Reagan answered: “I like it”…I like it too.